Cable trays are used to support various types of cable such as electrical, fiber optic and telecommunication cable in both indoor and outdoor applications. The cable tray is generally manufactured in sections that can be straight, curved or inclined. The various sections may be connected together in order to form a cable tray of a desired length and configuration. The cable tray may be of an enclosed type such that the bottom and side walls of the cable tray are plates that define generally flat surfaces. Alternatively, cable trays may be of an open or ladder type in which the side walls are formed as plates and the bottom wall is made of a plurality of lateral members that are spaced from one another so that open areas are present therebetween. It is also known to provide cable trays in a wire mesh form. Here, a series of longitudinal, lateral and vertical wires are attached to one another and configured into an open frame suitable for supporting a desired type of cable.
Current methods of splicing two sections of cable tray involve the use of mechanical fasteners such as bolts. For example, one known splice method provides for an L-shaped splice plate with locating studs that can be inserted into complimentary apertures of two adjacent portions of cable tray. The L-shaped splice plate is also provided with a plurality of apertures that align with complimentary apertures in the side walls of the cable tray portions. Bolts may be inserted through the aligned apertures in order to form a connection capable of retaining the two adjacent cable tray portions to one another. The L-shaped splice plate supports the bottom of the side walls to inhibit sagging of the connection over time or when subjected to significant loading. Although capable of connecting two adjacent portions of cable tray, such a splice plate connection requires a significant amount of time and labor as the plurality of bolts must be employed. Further, as cable trays are generally located in an elevated position the need to properly align the apertures and hold and insert the bolts may be difficult.
Although capable of splicing cable tray sections that have solid side walls, the aforementioned L-shaped splice plates are incapable of splicing wire cable tray portions. However, it is to be understood that other types of L-shaped splice plates are capable of splicing wire cable tray portions to one another. Splice plates capable of splicing wire cable tray portions typically include a pair of openings into which vertical wires of the cable tray portions can be inserted. A pair of pliers is then utilized by the installer in order to bend a tab of the splice plate in order to close off the opening into which the vertical wire of the cable tray is positioned. Although capable of splicing two wire cable tray portions together, the tabs of such splice plates function only to close the opening of the splice plate when actuated and do not function to pull the two cable tray portions together hence resulting in a weaker connection. Further, the two cable tray portions must be identically aligned in the height direction, the use of pliers increases the chance of injury, and the bent tabs may be subject to installer error as too little or too much bending can be imparted during the process.
Cable trays are generally suspended from a ceiling or other structure through the use of hanger rods. Lateral support beams are typically included and extend between and beyond the side walls of the cable tray. The hanger rods can be attached to the lateral support beams either at their midpoint or at their ends so that the hanger rods are either between the side walls of the cable tray or are not between the side walls of the cable tray. The lateral support beams increase the weight of the cable tray, increase the vertical profile of the cable tray, and require a significant amount of labor and time to be attached to the side walls of the cable tray. Further, the positioning of the lateral support beams or the hanger rod may interfere with the placement of cable held between the side walls of the cable tray. As such, there remains room for variation and improvement in the art.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.